For today’s advent beer pick, I doubled up on alcohol from yesterday (5.5% to 10%) and selected a beer from a young brewery gaining much acclaim: Oklahoma’s Prairie Artisan Ales. And, I have to admit I picked this beer simply because I loved the name and couldn’t resist. Thus, we have The Beer That Saved Christmas on our calendar for the day.

The Beer That Saved Christmas is described as an Old Ale aged in oak barrels, and naturally there is a bit of funk:

The Beer that Saved Christmas is an old ale aged in oak barrels with a mixture of wild bacteria. Notes of chocolate, cherry, vanilla and carmel can be found in this holiday beer.

The Old Ales of, er, old would most likely have had a sour character introduced by Brettanomyces and other beasties living in the wooden barrels the beer was aged in, so Prairie’s version will hit the mark with any beer geek looking for historical recreations. Not to mention a big, malty Old Ale is a great style to pair with the holiday.

And the picture of the bottle doesn’t really do the label justice, so click through to enjoy in all its random glory:

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